Benicio del Toro as "The Wolfman" (Photo from Yahoo! Movies) The frenzy is beginning to pick up for "New Moon," the first sequel in the immensely popular Twilight series, which is set for release on November 20. This time around werewolves get some facetime; vampires, apparently, aren't the only ones who can be angsty. Werewolves making an appearance in a vampire series -- how appropriate. Werewolves are those classic monsters that, these days, only find themselves as interesting tangents in a story arc focused on other, more attractive, denizens of the dark underworld. Rarely are they centerstage ("An American Werewolf in London," "Ginger Snaps," "Blood and Chocolate," "The Howling"). Today there is deluge of books and movies populated by either sexy vampires or grotesque zombies: the stars of the horror scene. This is a world where werewolves find themselves desperately snapping at the scraps of side characters and tangential plotlines But it was not always this way. The werewolf, believe it or not, might just be our oldest nemesis. Maybe in our modern, urban lives we have distanced ourselves from a time when nightfall did not signal the start of fervent activity out on the town or comfort on the couch. There was a time when nightfall meant only a feeble campfire and the gathered darkness of unknown wilderness all around us. It was a time when only the howling of some distant wolf pack could be heard from within the protective warmth of our campfires. Even then we had dogs. But they must have also trembled, like their masters, at the sound of their wilder, more dominant cousins. Maybe this is one of the reasons for man's deep (some would say primal) fear and hatred of these animals. We kept the docile ones that would obey us and seek our affection. Wolves represent their evil doppelganger: the violent, untameable side of animal and man alike. For that the wolf has become a legendary figure of evil, like the great Norse wolf Fenrisulfr. And from legends such as these came the werewolf. The legend of the Wolf of Magdeburg and the real-life Beast of Gevaudan, among other legends, were precursors to our modern ideas of what it means to be a werewolf. Vampires get a lot of attention and they love it. They mope about to the strains of depressing emo music, complain about their superpowers, and strike modelesque poses at every opportunity. Werewolves have none of that. They get right to the point of blood and gore. No emo music: it's all thrash metal and ripping out throats. To illustrate: in the opening scene of the movie "Silver Bullet" there is no lengthy dialogue, no make-out scene, just a werewolf decapitating a man. That's what werewolves are all about, and that's why they deserve a return to the spotlight. Suggested Sites... Werewolves.com - tons of werewolf-related goodies. Wolf Country - learn about wolves, listen to them howl, watch them in action. Werewolf Movies - learn what's happening in the world of werewolf movies. New Moon Official Site - get your Twilight jollies here. The Wolfman - Benicio del Toro dons the fake fur in this 2010 take on the classic monster movie.

Directory categories: Werewolves, Wolves, Horror Movies, Full Moon Superstitions, Folklore

Archived under: Animals, Horror, Monsters and Creatures, Movies, Mythology and Folklore, Vampires, Werewolves

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